Roland-Garros eSeries to return for second iteration

After being launched in March last year, the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas is returning for a second iteration.

The organiser of the French Open is hosting qualifying events in ten different countries throughout February to decide who will compete in the international final.

Photo credit: Roland Garros

Stéphane Morel, Deputy CEO of Marketing and Business Development at French Tennis Federation commented: “Following on from the enthusiasm shown for the first Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, we wanted to go one step further this year with the second edition of this international e-tennis tournament, to offer fans and gamers the best possible experience. I’m convinced that this new worldwide competition and its new features will incite great enthusiasm in participants from the competition’s ten host countries. We are proud to share this ambition with our partners BNP Paribas and BIGBEN, and are eager to get this new season started!”

Played on PlayStation 4, Tennis World Tour is the game of choice. The eight best players from each country will make it through to a final national qualifier. The winner of each national final will make it through to the grand final.

Vincent-Baptiste Closon, International Sponsorships Manager at BNP Paribas added: “The organisation of this second edition of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, in collaboration with the FFT, was a logical step for us. As a long-term sponsor of tennis, the bank has always supported the innovations developed in this sport, especially ones that concern the younger generations.”

Here are the countries that will be included: Germany, United States, France, China, India, Brazil, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy, and Spain. For the first time, a number of the nationals will coincide with the tour’s tournaments.

The grand final will take place at the Parisian Grand Slam with a total prize pool for €10,000 (£8,765.56).

Esports Insider says: With prominent presence from the likes of football and basketball, it’s not surprising that the esports industry is attracting more involvement from traditional sports such as tennis. Esports has a predominantly-young demographic that sports are keen to appeal to so we fully expect more involvement from other sports in the not-so-distant future.